New Age Islam News Bureau
08 April 2023
The library of 113-year-old
Madrasa Azizia after the March 31 communal violence in Bihar Sharif. (Express
Photo)
------
• Uttarakhand To Demolish "Illegal" Mazars:
"Won't Let Land Jihad Prosper", Says
Uttarakhand CM
• US Weapons Left in Afghanistan Being Used by
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch Separatist Groups In Pakistan: Report
• London Protest Demand Israel End Attacks On Al-Aqsa
Mosque In The Occupied East Jerusalem
• Ties Between US, Saudi Arabia Improving Despite
Recent China-Backed Deal With Iran
India
• Fashion Street Ganapati Mandal Mumbai Organises
Iftar For 300 Muslim Workers
• Kishanganj Muslim Family Donates Land For Temple
• Muslim Man Held For ‘Inciting Youth’ Against Raja
Singh’s Rally In Maha
• "They Can't Touch It": B Bommai On
Congress's Promise For Muslim Quota
• Saudi Ministry Hosts Iftar Table At Headquarters Of
Major Islamic Group In India
• Aligarh Muslim University teacher completes US
exchange programme
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Pakistan
• Pakistan To Launch New Military Operation Against
Islamist Militants, Says National Security Committee
• Founder Of Banned Baloch Group, Gulzar Imam,
Arrested In ‘Carefully Planned’ Intelligence Operation: ISPR
• Pakistan's capital city notifies rules for Hindu
Marriage Act after much delay
• India's letter on review of Indus Water Treaty is
'vague', says Pakistan minister
• 'Pakistan minister cancels trip to IMF, World Bank
meetings in US'
• PPP calls for holding talks with PTI as PML-N, JUI-F
oppose move
• Judges must not be seen as ‘politicians in robes’,
says Justice Minallah
--------
Europe
• French Top Diplomat In Rare Meeting With Iran
Counterpart In Beijing
• Swedish Police Appeal Court Ruling Allowing Quran
Burning Protests
• Any Ukraine peace talks should focus on creating
‘new world order’: Lavrov
• France to probe expulsion of Chechen dissident to
Russia: Source
• Bosnia's high representative urges politicians to
form government
• Italy pays tribute to Turkish, Syrian quake victims
on anniversary of L'Aquila earthquake
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North America
• CIA Chief Visits Saudi Arabia To Express Frustration
About Iran Rapprochement: Report
• US Policy On Israel-Palestine Shaped By Israeli
Far-Right Think Tank: Experts
• Biden Admin Blames Former President Trump for
Chaotic Withdrawal from Afghanistan
• US Navy sends nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine
to Middle East: Statement
--------
Mideast
• Hamas Praises ‘Heroic’ Shooting Operation Against
Israeli Settlers
• Islamic world should be united against Israel's
attacks in Palestine: Turkish president
• Iran, China Vow to Broaden Mutual Cooperation
• Iran Calls on OIC to Hold Emergency Meeting on
Israeli Regime's Crimes
• Israeli-Palestinian tensions high after deadly
attacks in Tel Aviv, West Bank
• Iran condemns Israeli strikes in Gaza and Lebanon,
calls for international response
• Iran sentences man accused of killing seven during
protests to death
• Palestinians will respond to Israel al-Aqsa
‘aggression’: Hamas
• Israeli restrictions at Al-Aqsa Mosque cut number of
worshipers at Friday prayers in half
--------
South Asia
• Over 1 Million Afghan Refugees Trapped Between
Hostile Pakistan And Taliban: Report
• Military Vehicles Collected from Irresponsible
People in Afghanistan’s Western Provinces
• Russian FM to Take Part in Fourth Ministerial
Meeting of Afghanistan’s Neighbours
• DAB to Auction $15 Million by Saturday to Stabilize
Afghani Currency
--------
Southeast Asia
• Umno Youth To Send Protest Letter To Foreign
Ministry On Israel’s Acts At Al-Aqsa Mosque
• Agong, Raja Permaisuri Attend Nuzul Al-Quran Celebration
At Penang State Mosque
• Agong: Muslims must stay united despite difference
of opinion
• Maszlee Malik appointed chairman of Islamic think
tank
--------
Arab World
• Saudi-Omani Delegation To Hold Ceasefire Talks With
Houthis In Yemen’s Sanaa: Sources
• Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza Strip after
barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon
• Digital devices that print identification wristbands
for children launched at Makkah’s Grand Mosque
• Heavy Rain, Sandstorm, And Snowfall To Hit Most Saudi
Regions Until End Of Ramadan
• Explosion gets reported near Iraqi Kurdistan airport
• Saudi, Iranian win top prizes at Otr Elkalam
competition
• Blast at north Iraqi airport raises tension in
Kurdish area
--------
Africa
• Christian, Muslim Clerics List Benefits, Rally Nigerians
Support For 2023 Census
• Turkish mosque donates food packages to residents in
Uganda’s capital
• Jordanian volunteer group raises spirits providing
Ramadan meals in Syrian camps
• Hopes fade for IMF bailout of Tunisia
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bihar-ramnavmi-madrasa-islamic-culture-religion/d/129516
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Bihar Ram Navmi Clashes: British-Era 113-Year-Old Madrasa Library Reduced 4,500 Books To Ashes, Some Of Them Handwritten On Islamic Culture, Religion And Literature
The library of 113-year-old
Madrasa Azizia after the March 31 communal violence in Bihar Sharif. (Express
Photo)
------
Written by Santosh Singh
Patna | April 7, 2023
“We managed to save ourselves, but we could not save
the library,” Murarpur mosque Imam Mohammed Siyauddin said, pointing mournfully
towards the burnt library in the adjoining Madrasa Azizia in Biharsharif on
Wednesday.
Reduced to ashes in the same fire of communal violence
that consumed the town on March 31, the library of the 113-year-old Madrasa
Azizia boasted 4,500 books, some of them handwritten, on Islamic culture,
religion and literature. Vehicles, houses and shops were torched and several
people injured in communal flare-ups reported over the March 31 Ram Navami
procession in the town, which has a population of about 6 lakh.
The charred shell of the library, which had hundreds
of books on Quranic interpretations alone, was considered as formidable as
Patna’s Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library. Madrasa Azizia and Patna’s Shamsul
Huda Madrasa are among Bihar’s two oldest madrasas. Set up by philanthropist
Bibi Sogra in the memory of her husband Abdul Aziz in 1910, the madrasa started
working to improve education in the community in 1920 following recognition by
the then British government.
The Imam alleged, “I am an eyewitness to the events of
March 31. The Ram Navami procession crossed the road close to the madrasa and
the mosque. Both the buildings are located at some distance from Gagan Diwan,
the place where the communal violence started. It seems the madrasa was
deliberately targeted by hoodlums.”
Stating that the 18-room madrasa, which is spread over
3 acres, was attacked by more than 500 people, he continued, “The police arrived
only two hours after the attack. By then, the fire had spread out of control.
Fire tenders managed to extinguish the fire by next morning, but all the books
and documents were gutted by that time.”
He said 300 students, ranging from those in class 1 to
some who are pursuing postgraduate courses, study at the madrasa.
Mohammed Shaqir Qasmi, the principal of Madrasa
Azizia, said the institution had 10 teaching and two non-teaching staff who
receive salaries from the state government. Besides them, five employees get
salaries from the Soghra Waqf Estate, considered one of the wealthiest waqf
estates in Bihar with assets, including educational institutions, spread across
Nalanda, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Patna, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur districts.
“Not a single book is in a recoverable state. We do
not even have scanned copies of the books lost in the fire. It is a huge loss,
not just for Nalanda, but also the field of Islamic studies,” rued Qasmi.
The madrasa, he recalled, had received special mention
by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) during its team’s March 2020
visit. The visit was part of an interaction with students under an educational
programme run by the Bihar State Madrasa Education Board.
Claiming that there had been an unsuccessful attempt
to attack the madrasa in 2017 too, Qasmi said, “After the 1981 riots in
Biharsharif, several families sold their houses and shops, and settled
elsewhere. However, a sizable Muslim population still lives in the vicinity of
the madrasa and the mosque.”
While the Bihar Police Headquarters did not
specifically mention filing of a separate first information report (FIR) in the
case of torching of the library, Nalanda Superintendent of Police Ashok Mishra
said, “Separate FIRs are being filed for damage to public property and arrests
are being made. So far, we have arrested 130 people in connection with the 15
FIRs lodged. We are still going through video footage and collecting other
evidence to nail the other offenders.”
Bihar Additional Director General of Police
(Headquarters) J S Gangwar also dismissed rumours of people fleeing Nalanda
after the communal violence.
Source: Indian Express
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original story:
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Uttarakhand To Demolish "Illegal" Mazars:
"Won't Let Land Jihad Prosper", Says
Uttarakhand CM
Uttarakhand Chief Minister
Pushkar Singh Dhami
------
April 07, 2023
Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh
Dhami on Friday said the authorities would demolish Mazars that have come up on
illegally-occupied land.
"We will demolish illegal mazars in Uttarakhand.
This is a new Uttarakhand. No one should even think about encroaching on land
here, let alone doing it," Dhami said in a tweet.
Later, speaking at an event in Nainital's Kaladhungi,
Dhami said the authorities had identified over a thousand illegal structures
erected in the name of mazars and others.
"We are not against anyone. But encroachments in
the name of mazars or anything else will not be allowed. We will not let 'land
jihad' prosper. We believe in the law. We will not allow anyone's
appeasement," Mr Dhami said.
Source: ND TV
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original story:
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US Weapons Left in Afghanistan Being Used by
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch Separatist Groups In Pakistan: Report
Photo: Express Tribune
------
By Fidel Rahmati
April 8, 2023
The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch
separatist groups are using the US weapons left in Afghanistan for militancy in
Pakistan, a report said by an international media outlet.
According to a report by Radio Free Europe, after the
withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan, it left behind military equipment and
weapons worth $7 billion, which later boosted the military power of Pakistan’s
outlawed militant groups.
The report also stated that the TTP and Baloch
separatist groups were fighting insurrections against the government in
Pakistan, which has seen an increase in violence over the previous two years,
utilizing US arms and equipment.
The US reportedly left behind weapons and equipment,
including firearms, communications equipment, and armoured vehicles, giving the
militants access to a “huge war chest.”
Several reports said that since the ceasefire between
TTP and the Pakistan government ended on last November, the group had
intensified its attacks on several major provinces of the country, including
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab.
The Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), an
Islamabad-based think tank, claims that there were 27% more terrorist attacks
in Pakistan in 2022 than in 2021.
The militant groups had more than 261 terrorist
attacks during 2022, in which 419 people were killed, and 734 were injured, the
report said.
However, the de facto government in Afghanistan has
rejected the claims that the TTP and other militant groups boosted by the US
weapons and equipment and reiterated that their government would not allow any
group to use Afghan soil against neighbouring countries, including Pakistan.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.khaama.com/us-weapons-left-in-afghanistan-being-used-by-insurgents-in-pakistan-report/
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London Protest Demand Israel End Attacks On Al-Aqsa
Mosque In The Occupied East Jerusalem
Photo: aa.com
-----
Burak Bir
08.04.2023
LONDON
Hundreds of demonstrators staged a protest Friday
outside the Israeli Embassy in London against attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque in the
occupied East Jerusalem.
The emergency protest was called for by various NGOs
and Palestinian solidarity campaign groups, including Friends of Al Aqsa,
Palestinian Forum in Britain and Stop the War Coalition.
Jewish Anti-Zionist Network and Jewish Voice for
Labors were among the participants.
Decrying recent Israeli attacks on Palestine, the
crowd chanted slogans in solidarity with Palestinians, including, "Free
Palestine."
Along with Palestinian flags, protesters were carrying
signs that read: "Stop arming Israel", "End Israeli
Apartheid", "Sanctions on Israel" and "Gaza, end the
siege."
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity
Campaign (PCS), told the crowd they are there again because of the
"brutal" attacks by Israel against Palestinians.
"We are here because once again Israel is bombing
Palestinians in Gaza and we are here because, since the beginning of 2023,
Israel has been massacring Palestinians," he said.
Saudah Badat, from the Friends of Al Aqsa, said
Israeli forces again attacked Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the
holy month of Ramadan.
"Attacking any place of worship should be
considered an act of terror," she said.
Criticizing media reports' representation of what is
happening in the region, she stressed that it is not a clash, or a conflict
between equal sides --rather it is brutal attacks of "apartheid
policies."
The Israeli army launched a series of airstrikes early
Friday on targets in Gaza, saying they were targets of the Hamas group.
Tension has been running high in the past few days
following Israel's assaults on worshippers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied
East Jerusalem.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/london-protest-demand-israel-end-attacks-on-al-aqsa-mosque/2866886
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Ties Between US, Saudi Arabia Improving Despite Recent
China-Backed Deal With Iran
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman receives US President Joe Biden at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival
in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. (Reuters)
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07 April ,2023
The relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia has
undoubtedly gone through one of its roughest phases since the two established
formal ties more than 70 years ago.
But despite the recent China-backed deal between Saudi
Arabia and Iran to restore ties, officials and recent statements from the Biden
administration signal that the tide may be slowly turning in favour of a more
stable environment between Washington and Riyadh.
“Looking ahead, we are focused on ensuring that our
engagement with Saudi Arabia continues to serve the interests of the American
people, and we have seen and continue to see great strategic value in this
relationship,” a State Department spokesperson told Al Arabiya English.
Other bumpy periods have occurred, including the oil
embargo in the 70s, the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Obama administration’s
policy on Iran and the ensuing 2015 nuclear deal.
During the Trump administration, ties were boosted,
and the former US president made his first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia. That
newly built trust was tested after Donald Trump held off on a military response
to Iran’s attacks on Saudi oil refineries in 2019.
And on the campaign trail, then-candidate Joe Biden
pledged to make Saudi Arabia “a pariah.” Several foreign policy decisions
targeted Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries shortly after Biden took office,
which included freezing arms sales to Riyadh.
But the events of the last six months have been
particularly worrying and threatened the continuity of US-Saudi relations.
A decision by the Saudi-led OPEC+ to cut oil output
before the US midterm elections was interpreted by the Biden administration as
a political stunt to undermine the chances of Democrats against Republicans.
Saudi Arabia has vehemently rejected these accusations and pointed to the price
of oil stabilizing shortly after the decision to decrease oil production.
Washington also accused Saudi Arabia of siding with
Russia through its move at a time when the US and Europe were trying to squeeze
Vladimir Putin’s coffers in the midst of his war on Ukraine.
The White House and other US officials threatened to
recalculate the relationship with Saudi Arabia, going as far as threatening
economic and financial sanctions.
But shortly after, there was a change in tone from US
officials toward Saudi Arabia.
At the UN, Saudi Arabia led several Arab and Gulf
states in voting to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling on the
Kremlin to withdraw Russian forces from the neighboring country. This was
followed up with a $400 million pledge from Saudi Arabia to Kyiv. The Biden
administration quickly toned down its criticism and lauded the Gulf nation for
its positive contributions.
A week before that, senior US officials traveled to
Riyadh to participate in security meetings to discuss Iran and other common
threats, pushing back against claims that Washington was looking to distance
itself from the region.
And when the surprise announcement of rapprochement
between Riyadh and Tehran was announced, the White House and State Department
officials commended the China-backed deal.
Over the last ten days, US officials have released
statements on the Yemen war seen as positive toward Saudi Arabia while calling
out the Iran-backed Houthis.
The US response to the latest Saudi and OPEC+ decision
to further slash oil production next month was also met with a much more muted
response, with Biden saying: “It’s not going to be as bad as you think.”
US and Saudi officials are now seeing a more positive
path forward while still acknowledging the difficult time their bilateral ties
are going through.
CIA Director Bill Burns travelled to Saudi Arabia this
week to reinforce US commitment to intelligence cooperation, especially in
areas such as counterterrorism, a US official previously told Al Arabiya
English.
Karen Young, a senior research scholar at the Centre
on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said there had been efforts to
engage constructively, led by the Saudis and initiated by the US government.
The US and Saudi Arabia concluded their first joint
counter-drone exercise last month at a new military testing center in Riyadh.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia recently signed what the US called “landmark deals”
with Boeing for over 120 aircraft worth $37 billion. The White House said the
agreement could support over one million American jobs across 44 states.
Sources familiar with the deal have said that its
signing was called off in October following the Biden administration’s
accusations of Saudi Arabia siding with Russia.
“The Boeing deal is a testament to the fact that ties
are beginning to improve,” one official said. “This is still very much a work
in progress, but there is progress.”
A National Security Council official told Al Arabiya
English that joint efforts on Ukraine and Yemen and the Boeing deal were areas
of interest to the United States, “with generally broad bipartisan support in
Congress, and where we hope and expect to make further progress over the coming
period.”
The NSC spokesperson also said that the US and Saudi
Arabia were working together on “more trusted and secure” 5G and 6G networks
through “O-Ran technologies.”
An upcoming test could be the result of ongoing
negotiations in which Saudi Arabia has requested US technology to enrich the
uranium Riyadh possesses to produce and then sell fuel. Otherwise, Saudi
officials have said they could look to China, Russia or France for help.
The State Department spokesperson said the Biden
administration was committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s clean energy
transition, including its efforts to develop a peaceful nuclear energy program,
but stopped short of signaling US approval for Saudi’s uranium enrichment
plans.
“The United States has long sought to limit the spread
of uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing technologies globally, given
their potential technical applicability to fissile material production. President
Biden has been clear that the administration remains committed to this
longstanding US nonproliferation objective,” the official said.
Nevertheless, the official praised Saudi Arabia for
being a strategic partner of the US for eight decades and said it was “very
clear that we have important work ahead” with Riyadh, including on Ukraine,
Yemen, threats from Iran, climate change, and 5G and 6G networks.
“There is plenty of goodwill left, but the US will
have to come to terms with a Saudi Arabia that is distinctly different from the
past, and that has been one of the obstacles to understanding,” Young told Al
Arabiya English.
Source: Al Arabiya
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original story:
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India
Fashion Street Ganapati Mandal Mumbai Organises Iftar For 300 Muslim Workers
By Linah Baliga
Apr 08, 2023
With communal tension being fuelled across the
country, especially during festivities, this Iftar was also an effort to set
the record straight. “We keep hearing about communal tensions during Ram Navami
in Bihar, Gujarat and other places
A long Dastarkhān (table cloth) was laid out on the
ground at Fashion Street, Churchgate, with hearty servings of fruits, sherbet
and bhajiyas. To savour it, around 300 Muslims were in attendance. This was not
a regular community meal but for the first time, a unique gesture by Fashion
Street Ganapati Mandal in Fort which organised the Iftar to spread the message
of togetherness and shun hate.
Vinay Gupta, member, Fashion Street Ganapati Mandal,
said that they wanted to do something for their Muslim brothers.
“We arranged for fruits, sherbet and bhajiyas. We
wanted to spread the message of togetherness and we believe in celebrating each
other’s festivals,” said Gupta.
With communal tension being fuelled across the
country, especially during festivities, this Iftar was also an effort to set
the record straight. “We keep hearing about communal tensions during Ram Navami
in Bihar, Gujarat and other places. But it was so good to witness harmony here
at Fashion Street during Ramzan, there are 400 shops and there are at least two
Muslims working in each shop. At least 300 people participated in this Iftar.
There is an environment of hate today and to stop the same, we distributed
Ladoos during Hanuman Jayanti on Thursday,” said Mohammed Jahangir Shaikh, a
vendor who is also the vice president of Fashion Street Ganesh Utsav Mandal.
Shaikh added that in the name of politics, people
shouldn’t forget their sense of brotherhood and unity. “Our Fashion market is a
tourist point and has been in existence for over 38 years. We believe in
pluralism and appreciate the gesture by the Mandal,” said Shaikh.
The expense came up to ₹40,000 for the Mandal.
Shamiullah Shaikh, a vendor at Fashion Street who participated in the Iftar
organised by Fashion Street Ganesh Mandal said, “This is such a positive move.
We are not opposed to each other’s festivals and we are businessmen. We liked
the gesture of them giving us a dawat.”
Shyam Nagarcha Raja mandal in Vile Parle’s president
Shivaji Khairnar observes roza during Ramzan and said his objective was to
convey the message, ‘sarva dharma sambhav’ in these troubled times.
“I have kept Roza in the last 15 years and especially
on 27th which is Badi raat because I want to show that we are one regardless of
the faiths we follow,” said Khairnar.
Suhail Khandwani, trustee Mahim and Haji Ali dargahs
had organised an iftar on Thursday for members of WIHUM (World Interfaith
Harmony Unity Mission) which comprises members from various religious groups.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Kishanganj Muslim family donates land for temple
Apr 8, 2023
PATNA: Amid reports of communal tension from some
parts of the state during Ram Navami festival recently, a Muslim family from
Kishanganj in Bihar has set a new example of communal harmony by donating his
prime land for construction of a Lord Hanuman temple, leaving the Hindu
residents ecstatic.
The Hindu residents, on Hanuman Jayanti on Thursday,
laid the foundation stone for the temple on about one-and-a-half katha of land
donated by the family of late Z Ahmed in the Vajpayee Colony amid chanting of
Vedic mantras and installing a flag (dhwaj) near the construction site. At
present, the Hindu devotees have to trek long to visit a temple in the area.
Ahmed owned two bighas of land, but sold them out for
the studies of his children, his family members told the local media.
Incidentally, the majority of the buyers were Hindu families to whom the
landlord had promised to donate a piece of land for temple construction.
Unfortunately, Ahmed succumbed to Covid-19
complications in 2021. But before his death, he had asked his sons to donate
the land to the Hindus for temple construction if they approached them for that
purpose.
'No greater religion than helping humanity'
Around a fortnight back, the Hindu residents
approached Ahmed's sons and requested them for donating land for the temple to
which the family happily agreed to saying they were already told by Ahmed for
the same before his death.
"Some Hindu members told me to feel free about
donating the land. I told them that my father, before his death, had already
expressed his last wish before us and we are only too happy to donate the land
for a good cause," Ahmed's son Faiz Ahmed told the local media on Friday.
Reciting lines from Hindu scripture Gita, Faiz asked
the people to enjoy the togetherness of life. "Stay together and be happy.
What you own today will get lost tomorrow. A man has come empty-handed and will
go the same way. So, why all distress and disquiet?" he said, adding there
is no greater religion than helping humanity.
Ahmed's another son, Fazal Ahmed, said it is good that
a temple is coming up on the land donated by them. "But please don't
forget this temple after its construction. I want you all to visit there on a
regular basis and keep it humming with religious activities," Fazal
wished.
Local residents said they were only too happy to see
their dream coming true after a long time. "There is no temple in the
area. So, we had to go to other places to offer worship. But now we will have
our own temple in the locality," said local resident Binod Kumar Mishra.
Source: Times Of India
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Muslim man held for ‘inciting youth’ against Raja
Singh’s rally in Maha
7th April 2023
Aurangabad: Police have arrested a 50-year-old man in
Nanded district of Maharashtra on the charge of inciting the Muslim community
youth against an upcoming rally of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
leader and Telangana MLA T Raja Singh, an official said on Friday.
The controversial leader’s rally is scheduled to be
held at Biloli in Nanded on April 9, he said.
The accused, Suleman Ahmed Shaikh, was arrested on
Thursday and a local court sent him to 14-day judicial custody, the police
said.
“Shaikh had held a meeting at a private function hall
in Biloli on March 24, where he appealed to the Muslim community youth present
there that they should oppose the rally of T Raja Singh, stating that it would
lead to tension in the area. A video of this meeting went viral later. After
going through the video, the police suo motu registered an offence on Wednesday
and held Shaikh in the early hours of Thursday,” the official said.
Efforts are on to nab another accused, he added.
Inspector Anant Barude of Biloli police station said
that Shaikh is a history-sheeter and was named in around seven cases.
A case under sections 505 (2) (statements creating or
promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 34 (common intention)
of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the accused and further
investigation was underway, he said.
The BJP had suspended T Raja Singh from the party in
August 2022 following an uproar over his alleged remarks against Islam and
Prophet Mohammed. He had been booked over the remarks and was arrested but he
later secured bail. Singh represents Goshamahal in Telangana capital Hyderabad.
Source: Siasat Daily
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of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/muslim-man-held-for-inciting-youth-against-raja-singhs-rally-2563424/
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"They Can't Touch It": B Bommai On
Congress's Promise For Muslim Quota
April 07, 2023
Bengaluru: Reacting to Congress leader DK Shivakumar's
promise of cancelling the scrapping of the four per cent Muslim quota after
coming to power, Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai said that the Congress party
cannot even touch the reservation.
His remarks came after Karnataka Congress president DK
Shivakumar on Friday said, "As soon as our government comes, we will
cancel the reservation issue and will protect the minority interest".
Talking to the mediapersons here on Friday, CM Bommai
said, "They (Congress) don't have clarity in any issue in reservation and
policies. They are just raining statements. Let them remove the reservation,
they can't touch it, let us see what they can do".
He said that the whole ticket selection procedure is
going properly in a constitutional way, and the final list will be announced
soon.
"I told you on Thursday only, that there will be
more aspirants for the ticket as there is a lot of competition. The party will
have a meeting on April 8 and 9, and tickets will be distributed on April 10.
We have collected the opinions of our party workers, leaders and the people.
The final list will also be made accordingly," he said.
The Chief Minister further said that the Congress
party is very "weak" from within and will badly lose the upcoming
assembly polls in the state.
"As far as I know, Congress doesn't have proper
candidates even on 60 seats, that's why they are swapping candidates. They are
just making voices, but are weak from the inside. Fights are going on within
the party between different factions. They will lose very badly in the coming
elections," CM Bommai added.
The Karnataka government last month scrapped the four
per cent OBC reservation for Muslims and distributed it to the two dominant
communities, Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas. The government also decided
to move OBC Muslims to the 10 per cent Economically Weaker Section (EWS)
category.
Source: ND TV
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Saudi Ministry Hosts Iftar Table At Headquarters Of
Major Islamic Group In India
April 07, 2023
NEW DELHI — Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Islamic
Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, represented by the religious attaché at the
Kingdom's embassy in New Delhi, hosted an Iftar table at the headquarters of
the All-India Central Ahl al-Hadith Association, which is the largest and oldest
Islamic association in India, as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
program to break the Ramadan fast, which is implemented in 40 countries around
the world.
Source: Saudi Gazette
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Aligarh Muslim University teacher completes US
exchange programme
Apr 7, 2023
MUZAFFARNAGAR: Dr Zainab Sarwat, assistant professor,
department of English, Aligarh Muslim University has completed the US Exchange
Program funded by the US government on "Exploring American Perspectives
through Popular Culture" at Kansas State University in Manhattan, USA. As
a part of the exchange program, she participated in various discussions related
to American culture and the cultural showcase of India in Kansas and Portland.
Sarwat was selected from Regional English Language
Office (RELO), US Embassy-sponsored English Access MicroScholarship Program,
running at the UGC Human Resource Development Centre, AMU.
She participated as a panellist in the TESOL
convention for ESL educators held in Portland, Oregon, and conducted a session
on "Using FORUM for Teacher Reflection and Professional Development".
English Teaching FORUM is a reputed ELT journal that has completed 61 years of
publication from the US Department of State.
Prof Mohammad Asim Siddiqui, chairman of the
department, congratulated Dr Zainab for serving on FORUM as a panellist.
Dr Faiza Abbasi, director of UGC HRDC said that Zainab
serving on the FORUM Panel is a remarkable achievement for AMU and the Access
program.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan
Pakistan To Launch New Military Operation Against
Islamist Militants, Says National Security Committee
Apr 7, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to launch a new nationwide
operation to root out Islamist militants, the national security committee said
on Friday, in a potentially costly move for a country already facing full-blown
economic and political crises.
Pakistan is in danger of defaulting on its debt, with
an International Monetary Fund bailout programme stalled since November, while
a bruising political battle is raging between the government and former Prime
Minister Imran Khan.
The last time it launched an all-out operation against
Islamist militants was in 2014, and it cost the country billions of dollars and
resulted over a million people being displaced and hundreds being killed.
"The meeting agreed to launch an all-out
comprehensive operation with the entire nation and the government, which will
rid the country of the menace of terrorism with renewed vigor and
determination," the security committee said in a statement.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country of 220 million
people, has seen a rise in attacks by Islamist militants in the last few
months, particularly since negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) militant group broke down last year.
This year, the group and its factions have unleashed a
wave of attacks including a suicide bombing at a mosque in the northwestern
city of Peshawar that killed over 100 people, mostly policemen.
Source: Times Of India
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Founder Of Banned Baloch Group, Gulzar Imam, Arrested
In ‘Carefully Planned’ Intelligence Operation: ISPR
April 7, 2023
A “hardcore militant” and founder of the banned
militant group Baloch National Army (BNA) was captured, according to the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), who described the detainee as a
“high-value target” with suspected links to hostile intelligence agencies
operating against Pakistan.
“Gulzar Imam alias Shambay was apprehended after an
innovatively conceived, carefully planned and meticulously executed operation,
spanned over months over various geographical locations,” the military’s media
wing said in a statement today.
The statement, however, did not disclose the exact
location where the militant was apprehended.
The report of the apprehension of a wanted terrorist
surfaces on the same day as a high-profile National Security Committee (NSC)
meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Over the past few months, the law and order situation
in the country has worsened, with terrorist groups executing attacks with near
impunity across the country.
Since the talks with the TTP broke down in November,
the militant group intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan. Insurgents in
Balochistan have also stepped up their violent activities and formalised a
nexus with the TTP.
According to statistics released by the Pakistan
Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think-tank,
January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134
people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in
at least 44 militant attacks across the country.
According to the ISPR statement, Imam was apprehended
in “a high profile and successful intelligence operation”.
The military said the captured terrorist was a hardcore
militant, as well as the founder and leader of the banned BNA outfit, which was
formed after the merger of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and the United
Baloch Army (UBA).
It stated that the BNA had perpetrated numerous
violent terrorist attacks in the country, including targeting the installations
of law enforcement agencies in Panjgur and Noshki.
“Imam also remained as deputy to Brahamdagh Bugti in
the BRA till 2018.”
The military’s statement added that the apprehended
militant was pivotal in creating the Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) and served
as its operational chief.
“His visits to Afghanistan and India are also on the
record, while his linkages with hostile intelligence agencies are being
investigated,” it said.
It further said the hostile agencies also tried to
exploit the militant to work against the state of Pakistan and its national
interests.
“The arrest of Gulzar Imam is a serious blow to the
BNA as well as other militant groups, which have been attempting to destabilise
the hard-earned peace in Balochistan.”
Source: Dawn
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Pakistan's capital city notifies rules for Hindu
Marriage Act after much delay
Apr 7, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Islamabad capital administration
has notified the Hindu Marriage Act 2017, more than five years after its
passage, a development that could benefit members of the minority community who
can now solemnise their marriage in line with established rituals, a media
report said on Friday.
The notification titled 'Islamabad Capital Territory
Hindu Marriage Rules 2023' will pave the way for the implementation of the
marriage act passed in 2017 in the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan
provinces as well, the Dawn newspaper reported.
An Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration
official said the notification was forwarded for implementation to all Union
Councils of the federal territory.
According to the rules, relevant Union Councils in
Islamabad will register a 'Maharaj' to solemnise marriages.
According to the report, a Hindu male with adequate
knowledge of Hinduism can become a 'Pundit' or 'Maharaj'.
However, the 'Maharaj' will be appointed only after
the submission of a character certificate from the local police and the written
approval of at least 10 members of the Hindu community, the report said.
Mehfooz Piracha, district attorney for Islamabad
Capital Territory, who drafted the rules, told the newspaper that the
notification "is a major step" towards ensuring the rights of the
minority community.
He added that the Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa provinces can adopt these rules now.
"Politically and technically, it is easy for
provinces to adopt the laws enacted in Islamabad rather than formulating new
legislation for each jurisdiction," Piracha was quoted as saying in the
report.
Similar to the case of the "registered
nikah-khawan" for Muslims, respective Union Councils will issue a
"Shaadi Pert" (marriage certificate) to the 'Maharaj' registered with
the relevant local government body.
All marriages would be registered at the Union
Councils as well, the report said.
According to the rules, a 'Maharaj' appointed under
the Marriage Act would not take any money for officiating the marriage except
for the fees mandated by the government.
According to the report, Section 7 of the rules deals
with cases related to the termination of marriages and remarriages.
These rules also allow Hindus living in Islamabad to
approach courts under the West Pakistan Family Courts Act 1964 in case of
marriage disputes.
The crucial effort for the approval of Hindu marriage
rules was made by a group called 'National Lobbying Delegation (NLD) for
Minority Rights', according to the report.
Jai Parkash, a member of the group, said that many
Hindus permanently settled in Islamabad, and it was "essential" that
the ICT administration implement this law retrospectively to benefit the local
community, the report said.
Source: Times Of India
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India's letter on review of Indus Water Treaty is
'vague', says Pakistan minister
Apr 7, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's minister for climate change on
Friday said the letter from India seeking to begin negotiations for the review
of the 62-year-old Indus Water Treaty was "vague" and Islamabad in
its reply has asked for a clarification from New Delhi.
India earlier this year for the first time issued a
notice to Pakistan, seeking a review and modification of the Indus Waters
Treaty (IWT), in view of Islamabad's "intransigence" to comply with
the dispute redressal mechanism of the pact that was signed more than six
decades ago for matters relating to cross-border rivers.
Pakistan's Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry
Rehman told the Senate that the contents of the letter regarding the IWT
modification were "vague” as India accused Pakistan of violating the
agreement and committing a material breach.
“The government of Pakistan is fully cognisant of the
matter and is dealing with it on its merits,” she said.
The minister said the government has deliberated with
all the relevant stakeholders, and a response was sent to India on April 1,
“seeking clarification from the Indian side on the contents of their letter”.
“No one can change Indus Waters Treaty unilaterally,”
the minister said as she apprised the Upper House about the Indian letter.
The IWT was signed in 1960 through the good offices of
the World Bank and has survived the vicissitudes of the acrimonious ties
between the countries.
Rehman noted the IWT is the only ratified treaty
between Pakistan and India and has not been replaced by a duly ratified treaty
concluded between the two governments ever since 1960, and continues to be an
instrument in force.
“It is imperative for India to ensure implementation
of the Treaty in its true letter and spirit,” she said.
“Pakistan is committed to the treaty and expects India
to comply with it,” she added.
India on Thursday said it has received Pakistan's
response to its notice sent over two months ago seeking a review and
modification of the IWT for the management of cross-border rivers.
New Delhi took the significant step of sending the
notice to Pakistan conveying its intent to amend the treaty around months after
the World Bank announced appointing a neutral expert and a chair of the Court
of Arbitration to resolve the differences over the Kishenganga and Ratle
hydroelectric projects.
India has been particularly disappointed over the
appointment of the Court of Arbitration.
New Delhi considers the start of the two concurrent
processes to resolve the dispute a violation of the provision of the graded
mechanism prescribed in the pact and wondered what will happen if the
mechanisms come out with contradictory judgements.
India has not cooperated with the Court of
Arbitration.
Under the pact, any differences need to be resolved
under a three-stage approach.
Source: Times Of India
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'Pakistan minister cancels trip to IMF, World Bank
meetings in US'
Apr 7, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's finance minister has cancelled a
visit to Washington for spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and World Bank, government officials said on Friday, citing domestic
political turmoil as the reason.
Minister Ishaq Dar was scheduled to attend the
meetings from April 10 and see top IMF officials and multilateral creditors in
a bid to secure stalled funding that the South Asian country desperately needs
to avert a balance-of-payments crisis.
Islamabad has been negotiating with the IMF since
early February to secure $1.1 billion funding as part of a $6.5 billion rescue
programme agreed in 2019.
Two government officials cited political turmoil as
the reason for the cancellation. The English-language Express Tribune newspaper
quoted Dar as saying he was not going because of the political crisis.
The finance ministry did not respond to a request from
Reuters for comment.
Former cricket star Imran Khan has been challenging
the government since he was ousted as prime minister after losing a vote of
confidence in parliament a year ago.
Khan has been heading a protest campaign to press for
a new election. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rejected Khan's demand,
saying a general election is due anyway late this year.
In the latest twist, the Supreme Court has ordered
voting in snap polls for two provincial assemblies to go ahead but the
government has rejected the court order.
While Khan wants the provincial elections now, Sharif
says it is too costly to organise votes both now and again later in the year,
and all of the votes should be at the same time later.
The government also says two rounds of voting this
year would put too much strain on agencies responsible for election security
when they are also facing a resurgent Islamist militant threat.
The Supreme Court has said it would be illegal to
delay the provincial votes.
Source: Times Of India
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PPP calls for holding talks with PTI as PML-N, JUI-F
oppose move
Apr 08 2023
ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition seems to be divided on
holding talks with the opposition to end the ongoing political and economic
crises in the country as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is supportive of the
idea while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl
(JUI-F) have rejected any such move.
A meeting of the PPP’s core committee convened on
Friday resolved to approach all parties in the coalition government to discuss
the issue of dialogue among the political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI).
The committee was jointly chaired by former president
Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The top decision-making body of the PPP met to address
the ongoing political crisis and emphasised that the issue had arisen due to
various reasons, including the minority court verdict being given precedence
over the majority court verdict.
PPP Secretary-General Nayyer Bukhari, speaking after
the meeting, said that this stance was legally, morally and politically
untenable and must be reviewed.
The party also stressed the importance of resolving
conflicting court verdicts promptly and without impinging on the judiciary’s
honour and prestige.
Furthermore, in the interest of fair and free
elections, the party called for general elections for all assemblies to be held
on the same day as provided for in the Constitution and reiterated their
opposition to any delay beyond the Constitutional mandate date.
It is important to note that the two major political
parties in the ruling coalition — PML-N and JUI-F — have opposed holding talks
with the PTI.
JUI-F leader Asad Mahmood, in a statement on Friday,
said that no negotiations will take place with Imran Khan and called for
imposing Article 6 on him.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on multiple occasions
has also rejected the idea of holding talks with the PTI.
Mushahid favours dialogue to end crisis
Meanwhile, PML-N Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed Friday
urged the government and PTI to stop fighting with the Supreme Court and the
establishment respectively and set the rules of the game for elections on time.
He was speaking on a calling attention notice, moved
in the House by opposition and government legislators on India’s move for
revision of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
He strongly advocated a dialogue between the ruling
coalition and the opposition, saying if talks could be offered to Modi and
terrorists, then why not between them.
Mushahid insisted that Pakistan needed to set its
house in order and express unity in order to face India as the US was also
backing New Delhi to counter China in the region.
Referring to his recent visit to China, he said the
message from the time-tested friend was that all political parties should talk
for the interest of Pakistan and its people by going beyond their party lines
and personal affiliations.
He regretted that the ruling alliance had picked
confrontation with the Supreme Court while the PTI was fighting with the
establishment.
“If they were offering a dialogue to Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, then why don’t we have talks among ourselves,” he
argued.
Source: Geo TV
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Judges must not be seen as ‘politicians in robes’,
says Justice Minallah
Nasir Iqbal
April 8, 2023
ISLAMABAD: In a detailed judicial note in the Punjab
and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections case, Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah on
Friday called for exercising “extreme restraint” in entertaining political
questions, since public trust is eroded when the court is perceived as
politically partisan and its judges are seen as “politicians in robes”.
In his “judicial order”, Justice Minallah also added a
word of caution, saying the country was on the brink of a political and
constitutional crisis and it is high time that all those responsible took a
step back and resorted to some introspection.
Justice Minallah was among the four judges who had
earlier rejected the suo motu case along with Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah,
Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel.
“All the institutions, including the Supreme Court,
need to set aside their egos and strive towards fulfilling their constitutional
obligations,” he wrote.
Agrees with three other judges’ decision to reject suo
motu action; explains he didn’t recuse from nine-judge bench
He said erosion of public trust in the independence
and impartiality of the apex court could have been avoided if a “full court”
was constituted, adding that a full court was also suggested in his earlier Feb
23 note.
It would have ensured the legitimacy of the
proceedings, Justice Minallah emphasised while concurring with the opinion of
Justice Yahya Afridi, who had dismissed the petition on the grounds of
maintainability.
He also agreed with the joint note of Justice Syed
Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, who held that the March 1
judgement had been dismissed by a majority of four to three and therefore the
same should be considered as the “Order of the Court,” adding this was also the
understanding at the meeting held in the anteroom on Feb 27.
Referring to the Feb 23-24 Supreme Court orders in
which the nine-judge bench was re-constituted into a five-judge bench to assume
suo motu jurisdiction on the provincial assemblies’ election, Justice Minallah
in his 25-page “verdict” explained that he did not recuse from the nine-judge
bench nor had any reason to dissociate himself from the larger bench.
Justice Minallah regretted that the current political
climate in the country was so toxic that it was inconceivable that political
parties would agree to having even a dialogue, let alone arriving at a
consensus.
‘Political disputes’
In a document punctuated with sub-headings, Justice
Minallah emphasised that extreme restraint should be exercised while assuming
jurisdiction under Article 184(3), adding it was the duty of the court to
ensure that political stakeholders were not encouraged to bring their disputes
to courts for settlement by bypassing the institutions created under the
Constitution.
He questioned the way resignations were tendered from
the National Assembly en masse and two provincial legislatures were dissolved
“as a political strategy”, rather noting that courts were first approached to
compel the speaker to accept the resignations, and when accepted, the courts
were again approached to have the decision reversed.
Role of court
In his judgement, Justice Minallah said this court
cannot and must not appear or be seen as advancing political strategies of
political stakeholders, adding that public trust would be eroded in the
independence and impartiality of the court if it appears to encourage
undemocratic norms and values. The court would be unwittingly weakening the
parliament by encouraging political stakeholders to add their disputes to its
dockets.
Justice Minallah said political stakeholders must
establish their bona fides before their petitions could be entertained. The
conduct of stakeholders has created an unprecedented political instability by
resorting to conduct devoid of democratic values of tolerance, dialogue and
debate.
Thus the conduct of the stakeholders does not entitle
them to invoke the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Article 184(3) lest
it is seen or appears to facilitate or promote undemocratic values and
strategies, said Justice Minallah.
It is also alarming that the conduct of political
stakeholders and their political strategies would create unprecedented
political turmoil and instability in the country when political stability was a
precondition for economic progress and prosperity. .
But the power struggle between the political
stakeholders is undermining the welfare and economic conditions of the people
of this country who have been made to suffer for a long time by depriving them
of their fundamental rights, Justice Minallah regretted.
CJP’s powers ‘not unfettered’
He explained that it was not disputed that the Lahore
High Court (LHC) had already allowed the petitions and rendered an
authoritative judgement and its competence to have it implemented cannot be
doubted.
Likewise, he noted that the Peshawar High Court (PHC)
was also seized with the matter. In the light of the binding ‘salutary
principles’ the petitions and suo motu jurisdiction must not be entertained
lest it may interfere with the implementation of the judgement of the LHC and
the proceedings pending before the PHC.
Referring to the power of the chief justice of
Pakistan (CJP), Justice Minallah explained that discretionary powers of the
Master of the Roster were not unfettered nor arbitrarily or capriciously —
discretion exercised in a manner that preserves and promotes public trust and
confidence. It is also an onerous duty of CJP to act in the best interest of
the Supreme Court.
Source: Dawn
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Europe
French top diplomat in rare meeting with Iran
counterpart in Beijing
April 07, 2023
PARIS: France’s foreign minister has held a rare
face-to-face meeting with her Iranian counterpart in China, urging Tehran to
release French nationals “arbitrarily detained” in Iran, the foreign ministry
said Friday.
Catherine Colonna, traveling with President Emmanuel
Macron on his state visit to China, met Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beijing.
Amir-Abdollohian was leading the Iranian delegation in
separate reconciliation talks in Beijing between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
China mediated the reconciliation last month in a sign
of Beijing’s growing clout in the Middle East.
Colonna “renewed her urgent demand for the immediate
release of the six French citizens who Iran is arbitrarily detaining,” the French
statement said.
The six are among an estimated two dozen foreigners
who activists and Western governments say are being held by Iran as hostages in
a bid to extract concessions.
Iran’s foreign ministry confirmed the meeting took
place, adding that “some consular issues were also raised during the meeting.”
It did not specify further.
Contacts between Iran and European powers — including
over the Iranian nuclear program — have been drastically scaled down over
Tehran’s deadly crackdown on the protest movement that erupted in September.
“The talks also focused on the situation in Iran,
regional issues and the Iranian nuclear program. The minister expressed
France’s concern about the attitude of the Iranian authorities on all these
subjects,” the statement said.
For its part, the Iranian foreign ministry said: “The
foreign ministers of the two countries emphasised the necessity of mutual
respect and continuation of dialogue.”
The Iran protests began in mid-September after the
death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for
allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Four men have been executed in protest-related cases
in what activists have described as “show trials.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2282966/world
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Swedish Police Appeal Court Ruling Allowing Quran
Burning Protests
Beyza Binnur Donmez
07.04.2023
GENEVA
Sweden’s police said Thursday that they had appealed a
court ruling which overturned a police decision to stop two demonstrations
where protesters planned to burn the Muslim holy book the Quran.
"The police authority believes that the principles
of the issue are important and it is therefore urgent that it is examined by a
higher court," the police said in a statement.
In February, Stockholm police refused to grant
permission to two Quran burning attempts after far-right Danish politician Rasmus
Paludan burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm in
January with police protection and permission from Swedish authorities.
The police cited security concerns to block those two
demonstrations.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Any Ukraine peace talks should focus on creating ‘new
world order’: Lavrov
07 April ,2023
Moscow wants any Ukraine peace talks to focus on
creating a “new world order,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on a
visit to Turkey on Friday.
The top Russian diplomat was in Turkey - which has
retained ties with both Moscow and Kyiv - to hold talks with his Turkish
counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.
He also threatened to abandon a landmark grain deal,
which Turkey helped broker, if obstacles to Russian exports remain.
“Any negotiation needs to be based on taking into
account Russian interests, Russian concerns,” Lavrov said.
“It should be about the principles on which the new
world order will be based.”
He added that Russia rejects a “unipolar world order
led by ‘one hegemon.’”
Russia has long said it was leading a struggle against
the United States’ dominance over the international stage, and argues the
Ukraine offensive is part of that fight.
The Kremlin this week said it had no choice but to
continue its more than year-long offensive in Ukraine, seeing no diplomatic
solution.
The beginning of the offensive saw rising fears of a
global food crisis as Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of grain and other
agricultural products.
Lavrov however said Russia may pull out of the
landmark deal that allowed vital exports to leave blocked ports in the Black
Sea.
“If there is no further progress in removing barriers
to the export of Russian fertilizers and grain, we will think about whether
this deal is necessary,” Lavrov said.
On the eve of the visit, Moscow said it extended the
agreement “as a gesture of goodwill for another 60 days.”
Russia has repeatedly threatened to abandon the
agreement that has allowed the export of more than 25 million tons of grain.
Moscow has been complaining that its side of the
agreement, promising the right to export fertilizer free from Western
sanctions, is not respected.
Source: Al Arabiya
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France to probe expulsion of Chechen dissident to
Russia: Source
07 April ,2023
The French judiciary is launching a probe into the
controversial expulsion of a Chechen dissident back to Russia where he was
subsequently jailed, a source said.
Magomed Gadaev, a prominent opponent of pro-Kremlin
Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, was expelled from France in 2021 to the
dismay of rights activists.
Supporters described him as a dissident in danger in Russia,
but the French interior ministry insisted he posed a threat due to alleged
extremist tendencies and needed to be deported.
A judge from the crimes against humanity section of
the Paris court has now opened an investigation into a complaint filed by the
Human Rights League (LDH) as well as Gadaev’s wife and children, a source close
to the case told AFP late on Thursday, asking not to be named.
The complaint targets French Interior Minister Gerald
Darmanin as well as two other officials including former Paris police chief
Didier Lallement, the source said.
After arriving in Russia, Gadaev was arrested and
sentenced to a year and a half in prison on arms possession charges. He was
freed in August, according to Amnesty International and his wife.
But his wife says her husband remains under
surveillance and cannot leave Russian territory.
Gadaev received refugee status in Poland in 2010 but
then moved to France in 2012 where he was refused asylum.
His expulsion to Russia came as France moved against
alleged radical elements in the Chechen diaspora after a Chechen extremist
beheaded teacher Samuel Paty outside Paris in October 2020.
Darmanin visited Moscow days after the murder to
discuss the issue with his Russian counterpart.
Kadyrov, a former warlord, has ruled the
Muslim-majority Chechnya republic for the last decade and a half.
Rights groups accuse him of serial violations and
using a private militia to crack down on opponents.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Bosnia's high representative urges politicians to form
government
Talha Ozturk
07.04.2023
BELGRADE, Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina's high representative on Friday
urged politicians to form a government for the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina (FBiH), one of country’s two entities, along with the Republika
Srpska.
At an extraordinary press conference in the capital
Sarajevo, Christian Schmidt – who is responsible for overseeing implementation
of the 1995 pact which ended the Bosnian war – urged politicians to end the
impasse in the Bosniak-Croat region, adding that this is his final call for an
agreement as political actors have obligations to the citizens.
"The election results (last November) cannot be
fully implemented even though the support of the majority in both houses of the
parliament exists for the vote in favor of the government formation. I will remind
all political actors of their responsibility to enable government institutions
to do their job," said Schmidt.
According to Schmidt, the FBiH is in a political
deadlock and split between political blocs.
"Maximalist demands, intimidation tactics, and non-acceptance
of political reality will not help the FBiH move forward," said Schmidt.
"There will be no additional final calls,"
he added.
The coalition formed by the Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) and the Eight Alliance in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina needs
the approval of Refik Lendo, vice president of the entity from the Democratic
Action Party (SDA), to form the entity's government.
But Lendo does not want to approve a governing
coalition that does not include his party, the SDA, which won the most votes in
the elections.
The FBiH Constitution stipulates that the government
proposed by its president must be approved by the two vice presidents before
the government can be formed.
In order to overcome the government crisis, the SDA
could relent and Lendo give approval to the current government, or there could
be a coalition with the SDA, in which case the HDZ would have to back down, or
High Representative Schmidt would have to amend the Constitution, using his
so-called “Bonn powers.”
Bosnians are furious about what they call Schmidt’s
interference.
Last week hundreds of demonstrators protested Schmidt
and demanded officials respect the county’s independence, territorial
integrity, democracy, and human rights.
The angry crowd chanted for Schmidt to resign and go
back to his native Germany.
High representative's controversial laws
Schmidt announced on the night of the Oct. 2 general
elections that he had enacted controversial reforms to the election laws
After polls closed in the presidential and
parliamentary election, Schmidt said he had signed two decisions for the
functionality and timely implementation of election results in a document he
called the "functionality package," stating that they were related to
the government and coalition-building processes.
The decision was fiercely criticized by both
politicians and the public.
The Office of the High Representative was established
in the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia
Herzegovina. The office oversees the implementation of the peace agreement on
behalf of the international community
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Italy pays tribute to Turkish, Syrian quake victims on
anniversary of L'Aquila earthquake
Baris Seckin
07.04.2023
ROME
Italy paid tribute Thursday to Turkish and Syrian
quake victims on the 14th anniversary of its L'Aquila earthquake, which killed
309 people.
As every year, commemoration programs were held for
those who lost their lives on April 6, 2009 at 3.32 a.m. when a 6.3-magnitude
earthquake struck.
Organized by L'Aquila Municipality, a march with
torches was held in the city center in memory of those who died.
The torch in L'Aquila Earthquake Park, the destination
point of the march, was lit by Turkish researcher Cansu Sonmez and Syrian Rasha
Youseff, who are continuing their education in Italy, to give a message of
solidarity to those affected by Türkiye's Kahramanmaras-centered twin
earthquakes on Feb. 6.
Afterwards, a moment of silence was held for those who
lost their lives in the earthquake.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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North America
CIA chief visits Saudi Arabia to express frustration
about Iran rapprochement: Report
Rabia İclal Turan
08.04.2023
WASHINGTON
CIA Director Bill Burns paid an unannounced visit to
Saudi Arabia, expressing frustration about Riyadh’s recent rapprochement with
Iran, according to a report.
Burns told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that
the US felt "blindsided" by Riyadh’s rapprochement with Iran and
Syria -- Washington’s global rivals -- according to the Wall Street Journal,
citing sources familiar with the matter.
It cited a US official who said Burns discussed
cooperation on intelligence and counterterrorism with Saudi officials.
Beijing last month hosted officials from longtime
regional rivals Riyadh and Tehran, where they agreed to resume diplomatic
relations.
Iran and Saudi Arabia severed ties in 2016 after the
Saudi Embassy in Tehran was stormed by an angry mob following the execution of
a Saudi Shia cleric.
Starting in April 2021, the two sides took part in marathon
talks facilitated by Iraq and Oman but it was Chinese intervention that
resulted in a breakthrough last month.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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US policy on Israel-Palestine shaped by Israeli
far-right think tank: Experts
07 April 2023
A new report says experts believe that Israeli
far-right think tank Kohelet Policy Forum, which has gained attention in recent
weeks because of its role in crafting the controversial judicial overhaul, is a
major player in shaping the US policy on Israel-Palestine.
"Now that the world is suddenly paying attention
to Kohelet in Israel, I think they maybe are missing the story in the US ... In
the US they have played, I would say, a parallel, enormously effective, and
quiet role of shaping US policy to where it is today when it comes to anything
related to Israel-Palestine," Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation
for Middle East Peace, said during an online webinar on Tuesday, hosted by the
foundation, according to the Middle East Eye.
Established in 2012, the far-right think tank is
funded mainly by American Jewish billionaires Arthur Dantchik and Jeffrey Yass.
The latter is known as one of the biggest donors to the Republican Party.
According to Ran Cohen, a rights activist and founder
of the Israeli civil society group, Democratic Bloc, the think tank earned
initial attention in 2019 when former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo
appreciated it for helping create the Trump administration's policy recognizing
Israel's settlements as legal.
"We can put that Pompeo statement as the first
sign that made us think that okay, this is something that we should look deeper
into, and we found a bigger story than that," Cohen said, adding,
"You don't see high-ranking politicians thanking an NGO, but he took the
step and the attention to actually give them the credit for helping with
promoting the statement that is actually stating that the settlements in the
West Bank are not contradicting international law - a major change in American
politics."
Recently, the think tank has become known as the
architect of the controversial “legal reforms” which serve as the centerpiece
of the policies of the Netanyahu-led cabinet that he cobbled together late last
year by wooing ultra-Orthodox and hard-right parties.
They seek to enfeeble the supreme court by robbing it
of the power to strike down either the cabinet or the legislature’s decisions.
Another element of the reforms would give the 120-member
parliament the power to overrule the court’s decisions with a simple majority
of 61 votes.
The reforms would also empower the Knesset to amend
the so-called Basic Laws – the regime’s quasi-constitution – in any way it sees
fit.
Observers say the reforms can potentially enable the
Knesset to annul a set of corruption charges that Netanyahu is being tried on.
The Israeli prime minister is being sued for bribery, fraud, and breach of
trust.
Eran Nissan, CEO of Mehazkim, a digital movement in
Israel, blamed Kohelet for the political crisis in Israel. "We're talking
about them because they are the ones that wrote the policies, the legislative
initiatives that are causing all the turmoil and political crisis right now in
Israel," he said.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/04/07/701117/Kohelet-policy-forum-shaping-US-Policy
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Biden Admin Blames Former President Trump for Chaotic
Withdrawal from Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
April 7, 2023
The administration of Joe Biden has defended its
decision to withdraw American soldiers from Afghanistan and accused former US
President Donald Trump of fostering circumstances that “severely constrained”
his successor and caused the chaotic pullout from the war-torn country in 2021.
On Thursday, the White House released a 12-page report
on the circumstances behind the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. It also
forwarded related classified documents to various Congressional committees.
The report attributes a large portion of the fault to
the previous Trump administration, claiming that President Biden was “severely
constrained” by their decisions.
On February 29, 2020, the Taliban and the US
administration, led by then-President Trump, signed a peace accord in Doha,
Qatar. The treaty paved the way for the withdrawal of American troops within
one and a half years from the country. In return, the Taliban pledged not to
attack or utilize Afghanistan’s soil against the United States or its allies.
US President Joe Biden ended America’s longest-running
overseas military engagement in Afghanistan on April 14, 2021.
After the US withdrawal announcement plan from the
country, the Taliban fighters increased their attacks on the provincial
capitals. On August 15, they seized Kabul capital of Afghanistan, without any
resistance, and former president Ashraf Ghani fled to Uzbekistan on the same
day.
After the Taliban takeover of the country, the US and
its allies ended their two-decade presence there.
Source: Khaama Press
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US Navy sends nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine
to Middle East: Statement
08 April ,2023
The US Navy said on Saturday a nuclear-powered
guided-missile submarine was operating in the Middle East in support of the
Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet.
The USS Florida entered the region on Thursday and
began transiting the Suez Canal, Commander Timothy Hawkins said in a statement.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Mideast
Hamas praises ‘heroic’ shooting operation against
Israeli settlers
07 April 2023
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has praised
as “heroic” a Friday shooting operation in the occupied West Bank, saying it
showed resistance forces are ready to quickly react to any act of aggression by
the Israeli regime.
Hamas spokesman Mohammad Hamada said described the
attack, which left two settlers dead and another injured, as a crushing
response to Israel’s aggression. He said resistance is now in the hearts of
Palestinians and Israeli aggression against al-Aqsa Mosque and its defenders
won’t go unanswered.
Hamada reiterated Hamas’s position that al-Aqsa is a
red line for Palestinians.
The shooting attack left two Israeli settlers dead and
another seriously injured near the settlement of Hamra in the West Bank.
It said the women were fired on in a car in the
northern part of the Jordan Valley.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the
attack.
The Israeli military said it had launched a manhunt
for the perpetrators of Friday's shooting.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/04/07/701143/Hamas-West-Bank-shooting
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Islamic world should be united against Israel's
attacks in Palestine: Turkish president
Diyar Guldogan
07.04.2023
The Islamic world should be united against Israel's
attacks in Palestine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian
counterpart on Friday.
Erdogan and Ebrahim Raisi spoke over the phone and
discussed Türkiye-Iran relations and regional issues, including Israeli attacks
on Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem, Türkiye's Communications
Directorate said in a statement.
Emphasizing that common sense should prevail to
prevent a new spiral of violence, Erdogan said that it would be beneficial to
take initiatives to guide all parties to common sense.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Iran, China Vow to Broaden Mutual Cooperation
2023-April-7
During the meeting in the Chinese capital on Thursday
evening, the Iranian and Chinese foreign ministers explored avenues for
bolstering and reinvigorating mutual cooperation in various areas.
The meeting took place hours after the top Iranian
diplomat and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud signed a
joint statement on bilateral relations in the Chinese capital.
The meeting between Amirabdollahian and Farhan Al Saud
in Beijing was the first formal meeting between Iran and Saudi Arabia after
seven years of severed ties.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14020118000345/Iran-China-Vw-Braden-Mal-Cperain
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Iran Calls on OIC to Hold Emergency Meeting on Israeli
Regime's Crimes
2023-April-7
During the phone talks on Thursday night, Amir
Abdollahian and Taha exchanged views on the Israeli regime's illegal intrusion
into Al Aqsa Mosque and the Iranian foreign minister asked for the convening of
an OIC emergency meeting to tackle the matter.
The top Iranian diplomat said that the emergency
meeting had better be at the foreign ministers' level, announcing that the
Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for any kind of needed cooperation in the
successful convening of that emergency meeting.
Amir Abdollahian, meanwhile, referred to Iranian
President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi's recent phone talk with his Indonesian
counterpart on the same matter and informed the OIC secretary general about the
Islamic Republic of Iran's other planned programs in that respect.
The OIC Secretary General Hussain Ibrahim Taha, for
his part, condemned the recent Zionist invasion of one of the holiest Islamic
sites, the Al Aqsa Mosque, and informed Amir Abdollahian that the OIC Executive
Affairs Committee would convene this coming Sunday to review Israel's recent
insulting move in that holy mosque.
News sources reported on Wednesday night that the
Israeli troops raided Al Aqsa Mosque once more and beat Palestinian
worshippers, and even tried to expel the Palestinians from the holy mosque.
Palestinian Red Crescent Society declared that a
number of Palestinians had been injured following the raid, but the Israeli
troops did not allow medical staff to enter the holy site.
The Israeli regime’s police announced that they
arrested tens of Palestinian people at Al Aqsa Mosque.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Israeli-Palestinian tensions high after deadly attacks
in Tel Aviv, West Bank
08 April ,2023
An Italian tourist was killed and five people were
wounded in a car ramming in Tel Aviv on Friday that came hours after two
Israeli sisters were killed in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank.
The attacks, after a night of cross border strikes in
Gaza and Lebanon, added to heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions following
Israeli police raids in Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque this week.
The tensions threatened to spiral into a wider
conflict overnight as Israel responded to a barrage of rockets by hitting
targets linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and southern
Lebanon, but the fighting entered a lull on Friday.
However, the two attacks underlined how volatile the
situation remains after successive nights of trouble that have drawn worldwide
alarm and calls for calm.
In the latest attack, a car ploughed into a group on a
street near a popular bike and walking path on a Tel Aviv promenade. The driver
was shot dead by a nearby police officer when he tried to pull a gun, police
said.
An Israeli security source identified the assailant as
an Arab citizen of Israel from the town of Kafr Qassem.
Police cordoned off the area that was brimming with emergency
responders.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said the
victims were all foreign tourists. Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani
confirmed that an Italian had been killed and other Italians may have been
among the wounded.
Earlier on Friday, two Israeli sisters, aged 20 and 16
with joint British nationality, were killed and their mother wounded in a
shooting attack on their car near the Jewish settlement of Hamra in the Jordan
Valley.
“Our enemies are putting us to the test again,” Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after visiting the site of the attack with
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
As soldiers hunted for the gunman, Netanyahu ordered
border police reserves and additional military forces to be mobilized to
confront the wave of attacks.
The US State Department condemned the attacks, saying
“the targeting of innocent civilians of any nationality is unconscionable.”
Flashpoint
No claim of responsibility was made for either of
Friday’s attacks, but Hamas, the militant group that controls the blockaded
Gaza Strip, praised them and linked them to the tensions around al-Aqsa Mosque.
Friday prayers passed without major incident and apart
from some stone-throwing, police said the situation had been quiet.
Twice this week Israeli police have raided the mosque,
where hundreds of thousands of worshippers have been praying during the Islamic
holy month of Ramadan, to dislodge groups they said had barricaded themselves
with the aim of causing trouble.
Footage of officers beating worshippers who confronted
them aroused concern, even among Israel’s allies, and prompted condemnation
across the Arab world.
The site in Jerusalem’s Old City, holy to both Muslims
and Jews, who know it as Temple Mount, has been a longstanding flashpoint,
notably over the issue of Jewish visitors defying a ban on non-Muslim prayer in
the mosque compound.
Clashes there in 2021 helped set off a 10-day war
between Israel and Hamas. The exchange of cross border fire awakened memories
of that conflict, but as the lull in fighting extended on Friday, neither side
seemed keen to prolong the fighting.
“Nobody wants an escalation right now,” an Israeli
army spokesman said. “Quiet will be answered with quiet, at this stage I think,
at least in the coming hours.”
One official with a Palestinian militant group told
Reuters they were ready to keep the calm should Israel do the same, with the
group having “made its point”. A Qatari official said Qatar was helping
international efforts to de-escalate the situation.
Even before the flare-up of the past few days, the
West Bank has seen a surge of confrontations in the past several months, with
frequent military raids and escalating settler violence amid a spate of attacks
by Palestinians.
Since the beginning of the year, at least 18 Israelis
and foreigners have been killed in attacks in Israel, around Jerusalem and in
the West Bank. In the same period, Israeli forces have killed more than 80
Palestinians, most of them fighters in militant groups but some of them
civilians.
In the aftermath of the overnight strikes in Gaza,
streets were largely empty except for some taxis and emergency vehicles. In
Gaza City’s Tufah neighborhood some houses and a children’s hospital were
damaged.
Taxi driver Muhanad Abu Neama, 23, said his family
barely escaped Israeli air strikes that hit near his house, filling rooms with
dirt and debris and damaging his car.
“I could hardly see because of the dust, the dirt
covered my sisters’ beds and I carried them out one by one,” he said.
With the international-led peace process long
moribund, Palestinians’ hopes of creating an independent state in the West Bank
and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, have faded. Israel captured East
Jerusalem in the 1967 war and annexed it as its capital in a move not
recognized internationally.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran condemns Israeli strikes in Gaza and Lebanon,
calls for international response
07 April ,2023
Iran on Friday condemned the recent Israeli strikes in
the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, urging for a “deterrent” response from the
international community to Israel’s “aggressive actions.”
Tensions have escalated between Israel and the Palestinians
during the Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, raising
concerns of further escalation in the coming days.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said
the attacks on Lebanon were a violation of the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of the country, “as well as a gross violation of the principles of
international law and human rights,” according to state media.
“We demand an effective and deterrent response from
the international community to the aggressive actions of the Zionist regime,”
he said.
Israel conducted airstrikes early on Friday in Gaza
and Lebanon in retaliation for rocket attacks launched from both territories.
Israeli officials have blamed the Palestinian militant group Hamas for the
rocket attacks from Lebanon towards northern Israeli areas.
Tehran is a major ally of both Hamas and Lebanon’s
Hezbollah.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran sentences man accused of killing seven during
protests to death
07 April ,2023
An Iranian court has ordered the execution of a man
accused of killing seven people during nationwide protests last year, the
judiciary said Friday.
Abbas Kurkuri was accused of using a military weapon
to fatally shoot seven people in Izeh, in Khuzestan province, in November, and
charged with the capital crimes of “moharebeh,” or “war against God” and
“corruption on earth,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website reported.
The Islamic Republic witnessed several months of civil
unrest following the September 16 death of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini,
22, after her arrest for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of
security personnel, and thousands were arrested in connection with what
officials labelled “riots” fomented Iran’s enemies.
Kurkuri’s sentence can be appealed in the supreme
court, Mizan added.
At the burial of one of the shooting victims,
identified as 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, the boy’s mother reportedly blamed
security forces for killing her son.
At the time of his death, officials insisted the boy
was killed in a “terrorist” attack carried out by an extremist group.
The judiciary’s website added that Kurkuri had
“accepted the charges” and confessed to being “under the influence of social
media.”
Such confessions are frequently condemned by rights
groups based outside of Iran as “forced,” arguing that they are often obtained
under duress.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Palestinians will respond to Israel al-Aqsa
‘aggression’: Hamas
07 April ,2023
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said Thursday Palestinians
“will not sit with their arms crossed” in the face of Israeli “aggression”
against the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
He was speaking in Beirut after Israel blamed
Palestinian militants for firing a barrage of rockets from Lebanon at northern
Israel.
Haniyeh, who arrived in the Lebanese capital a day
earlier, met on Thursday the heads of other Palestinian organizations as Israel
threatened a military response to the rocket fire.
“Our Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance
groups will not sit idly by” in the face of Israel’s “savage aggression”
against al-Aqsa, Haniyeh said in a statement after the meeting.
Israel accused Palestinian groups of firing 34 rockets
from Lebanon on the Jewish Passover holiday, a day after clashes between Israeli
police and Palestinians inside Islam’s third-holiest site.
The violence in Jerusalem was widely denounced by
neighboring states and several Palestinian groups vowed they would respond.
In his statement, Haniyeh called on “all Palestinian
organizations to unify their ranks and intensify their resistance against the
Zionist occupation (Israel).”
Earlier, Israeli army spokesperson Lt. Colonel Richard
Hecht said Palestinian groups were responsible for the rocket barrage.
“We know for sure it’s Palestinian fire,” he told
reporters. “It could be Hamas, it could be [extremists], we are still trying to
finalize but it wasn’t Hezbollah.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israeli restrictions at Al-Aqsa Mosque cut number of
worshipers at Friday prayers in half
MOHAMMED NAJIB
April 07, 2023
RAMALLAH: Friday prayer took place at Al-Aqsa in
Jerusalem amid strict Israeli security measures and police obstacles that
limited the number of worshippers able to reach the mosque.
And as tensions remained high and violence continued,
two Israeli women were shot dead when their car was attacked in the occupied
West Bank.
The Islamic Awqaf Department in Jerusalem reported
that 130,000 worshippers offered prayers at Al-Aqsa on the third Friday of
Ramadan, half as many compared with last year. Israeli forces closed the main
access point to the mosque and deployed more than 2,300 soldiers at the gates
of Al-Aqsa and the Old City, preventing men below the age of 55 from entering
Jerusalem and reaching the mosque.
After Friday prayer, a demonstration took place during
which a banner that read “Do not test our patience; Al-Aqsa is a red line” was
displayed.
Clashes began at dawn when Israeli police assaulted
dozens of worshippers who tried to enter the mosque through the Bab Hatta Gate
for Fajr prayer. They also attacked stall owners and vendors in the area.
Sheikh Talib Al-Silwadi, one of the most prominent clerics
in Ramallah, who has called on Palestinians to pray at Al-Aqsa during Ramadan,
told Arab News that the mosque holds great religious significance for Muslims
as it is considered the gateway to heaven.
“Considering the Israeli challenges, we must defend it
with all power,” he said. “The least we can do for Al-Aqsa, which faces the
danger of Judaization, is to pray in it during Ramadan.”
Earlier, around midnight, Israeli forces arrested a
number of young men from Al-Thawri neighborhood of Silwan after a settler shot
at them in the nearby town of Al-Tur. Officers also stormed Al-Makassed
Hospital in Al-Tur, saying they were searching for injured people.
Meanwhile, two Israeli women, who according to local
media reports were sisters, were killed and their mother seriously wounded when
their car came under fire near the Jewish settlement of Hamra in the occupied
West Bank. Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, praised the
shooting but did not claim responsibility for it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had
ordered a security assessment of the situation. Following the attack, the
Israeli army put the city of Jericho and the Jordan Valley under lockdown, set
up military checkpoints, and launched a comprehensive search of Palestinian
vehicles. Other forces were observed conducting search operations in the
mountains and valleys. Israeli army forces also stepped up security procedures
at military checkpoints surrounding Nablus.
Col. Hertzi Halevi, chief of the Israel Defense Forces,
described the Hamra attack as severe. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said they
considered it retaliation for continual Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa, and a
message to Israeli authorities that the assault on Muslim prayers at the mosque
during Ramadan would not be tolerated.
The Israeli police chief, Yaakov Shabtai, urged
settlers who own licensed weapons and are proficient in using them to carry
them in support of the army, police and security forces in the face of
Palestinian attacks.
Esmat Mansour, a Palestinian expert on Israeli
affairs, told Arab News that the Hamra attack was no less dangerous in terms of
its implications than missiles fired toward Israel from Lebanon and Gaza.
“It could complicate the security scene more and cause
a shift in the security situation in the West Bank,” he said.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles in
Taqu, southeast of Bethlehem, with stones, damaging several. They did the same
near the northern entrance to Ramallah. Under the protection of large numbers
of Israeli army forces, settlers also attacked Palestinian properties in
Khirbet Humsa Al-Tahta in the northern Jordan Valley.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2283096/middle-east
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South Asia
Over 1 million Afghan refugees trapped between hostile
Pakistan and Taliban: Report
7 April, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], April 7 (ANI): More than one
million Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been trapped between Taliban and
Islamabad who is determined to push them into the jaws of harrowing life, Hamid
Pakteen wrote in the Afghan Diaspora Network report. Afghans had been fleeing
their home for decades, every time the war-torn nation went into conflicts,
including at the height of the Cold War and the return of the Taliban.
Over the years, Pakistan has played a game of snakes
and ladders with Afghans, the report said. The Afghan refugees first became an
effective tool for Pakistan to have influence in Afghanistan and advance its
strategic interest of keeping Kabul as its “strategic backyard,” Afghan
Diaspora Network reported.
Since the return of Taliban regime in Afghanistan on
August 15, 2021, more than 6,00,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan, adding close
to four million existing Afghan refugees, of which only 1.32 million people
were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Pakistan, which is facing an economic crisis is
hell-bent to stop the Afghans from entering the country, pushing back hundreds
of them each day, Hamid Pakteen wrote in the Afghan Diaspora Network. Earlier,
the situation was different.
Refugees provided a counterbalance to Pakistan’s
Afghanistan policy, making Afghans an important tool in Islamabad’s strategic
planning, as per the news report. The refugees also helped Pakistan to counter
adversarial moves from Afghanistan, including on the Durand Line.
Pakistan welcomed the Afghan refugees during the
Soviet invasion which in turn helped Islamabad to get familiar with the Western
military bloc. Afghanistan used Pashtun groups opposed to Pakistan to have its
influence over Islamabad while the Pakistan Army played a game of providing
weapons in 1975 to Panjshir province to overthrow the Afghanistan regime.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) used the
Cold War scenario to make terrorist sanctuaries from the refugee camps in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as per the Afghan Diaspora Network report.
After the Soviets left Afghanistan, the majority of Afghans had little interest
in fighting with the Western armies and wanted to live a peaceful life.
Big cities in Pakistan, including Karachi and
Peshawar, provided a home away from home and Afghans became part of the urban
scape in Pakistan, the author wrote in the news report.
Islamabad even provided a convenient exit gate to
Europe and the US for Afghans. However, the situation changed after 2001 and
Afghans were no longer welcome in Pakistan. Pakistan started stricter
monitoring of refugees and announced stricter detention and deportation
policies and Afghans are being pushed back into the hell from where they had
fled.
Earlier in March, more than 2,000 Afghan refugees had
returned back to their nation from Iran and Pakistan, Taliban appointed
Refugees and Repatriation Department announced, according to Khaama Press.
Source: The Print
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Military Vehicles Collected from Irresponsible People
in Afghanistan’s Western Provinces
By Fidel Rahmati
April 7, 2023
Dozens of military vehicles that were being used by
irresponsible persons in Afghanistan’s western provinces have been gathered by
the military vehicle collection commission of the 207th Al-Farooq Army Corps.
According to a statement from the press office of the
army corps, it was said that the concerned department had collected military
vehicles from the provinces of Herat, Farah, and Badghis.
These collected military vehicles include Ranger,
Humvee, strike vehicles and motorbikes.
The Taliban’s Defense Ministry announced that around
300 military vehicles left by the United States in Afghanistan had been
repaired.
The ministry also said that the technical team and
engineers had repaired hundreds of vehicles, including 150 international
Kumazes, 125 Humvees, two assault tanks, four trucks, 10 Porcliff and 15
Humvees ambulances.
Based on the report released by the US House of
Representatives, more than seven billion dollars worth of military equipment
was left behind after the US troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
After the collapse of the previous regime and the
takeover of the country by the Taliban, all the military equipment was captured
by the group, according to a Pentagon report.
Source: Khaama Press
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Russian FM to Take Part in Fourth Ministerial Meeting
of Afghanistan’s Neighbours
By Fidel Rahmati
April 8, 2023
The Fourth ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s
neighbouring countries will take place in Uzbekistan to discuss political
settlement and stabilizing the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the
country.
Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, will
lead the Russian delegation at the fourth Foreign Minister’s meeting of the
neighbouring countries of Afghanistan in Uzbekistan on April 13, the Russian
Ministry said on Friday, TASS News Agency Reported.
Russia and the six neighbouring countries of
Afghanistan (China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan)
will come together in Samarkand to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan
and regional cooperation.
“The fourth ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s
neighbouring countries (with the participation of Russia, China, Iran,
Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) is scheduled for April 13 in
Samarkand (Uzbekistan). Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will lead the Russian
delegation,” the Ministry said.
The focus of the regional partners in the conference
would be to facilitate an Afghan political settlement and stabilize the
humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the country, according to the
Ministry.
Russia and neighbouring countries have repeatedly
expressed their concerns over the growing security threats from the country.
“Given the complicated security situation and growing
terrorist activity and drug production in Afghanistan, the coordination of
counter-terrorist and anti-drug efforts of the region’s countries is especially
important,” the Foreign Ministry added.
“Special attention will be paid to regional economic
integration and implementation of transport and energy projects with the
participation of Kabul in accordance with previously reached agreements,” the
Ministry said.
Last year, on March 31 2022, the third regional
conference was held in the Chinese city of Tunxi.
Source: Khaama Press
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DAB to Auction $15 Million by Saturday to Stablize
Afghani Currency
By Fidel Rahmati
April 7, 2023
Afghanistan Central Bank will auction 15 million USD
on Saturday to stabilize Afghani against foreign currency.
The Central Bank has called on qualified banks and
money exchange businesses to participate in the auction, stressing that the
successful bidders must pay their accounts by the end of the day.
The bank also stated that partial settlement of
transactions is not permitted and that the auction winners must make a single,
timely cash delivery of all amounts owed to Da Afghanistan Bank.
This is the second auction since Sunday to further
strengthen the value of the Afghani currency against the foreign.
Since the Taliban took back control of the country in
August 2021, the value of the Afghani has stayed comparatively stable, which is
seen as a positive development for the war-torn country with an economy that
depends heavily on foreign aid.
Source: Khaama Press
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Southeast Asia
Umno Youth to send protest letter to Foreign Ministry
on Israel’s acts at Al-Aqsa Mosque
07 Apr 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Umno Youth will send a protest
letter to the Foreign Ministry on Monday in connection with the cruel acts
perpetrated by the Israeli regime’s military against Palestinians at the
Al-Aqsa Mosque recently.
Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh said the protest
letter would, among other things, urge all Islamic countries to be united in
opposing the violence and cruelty committed by Israel.
“We will also request the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations to immediately act to put a stop to
the cruelty and injury inflicted on our friends in Palestine,” he said after an
assembly of Umno Youth in Solidarity with Palestine at the Masjid Kampung Baru
compound here today.
He said today’s gathering was meant to send a message
to the Israeli regime that its cruel actions against Palestinians were also
felt by other Islamic countries.
According to Muhamad Akmal, the Israeli flag was burnt
at the assembly as a symbolic gesture of opposing the cruelty against
Palestinians and conveying the stand that Israel was not recognised as a
country.
Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Noor Dellhan
Yahaya, when contacted, said police officers were deployed to monitor the
assembly and that no untoward incidents were reported.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military raided the Al-Aqsa
Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem for the second night in a row and
attacked Palestinian worshippers.
Source: Malay Mail
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Agong, Raja Permaisuri attend Nuzul Al-Quran
celebration at Penang State Mosque
07 Apr 2023
GEORGE TOWN, April 7 — Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan
Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku
Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah today attended the Nuzul Al-Quran
celebration at the Penang State Mosque here.
Their Majesties were accompanied by their children
Tengku Arif Bendahara Tengku Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah, Tengku Puteri
Raja Tengku Puteri Afzan Aminah Hafidzatullah and Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah
‘Athiyatullah.
The royal family were met on arrival at the mosque at
6.10pm by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak and
his wife Toh Puan Khadijah Mohd Nor, as well as Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk
Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman and his wife Datin Mohaini Mohd Safar.
The event commenced with the recital of a doa by the
Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor, followed by a welcoming
speech by Ahmad Zakiyuddin.
Their Majesties also met and presented contributions
to 50 asnaf (eligible to receive zakat or tithe) recipients.
The event then continued with the Nuzul Al-Quran
tazkirah (religious talk) entitled ‘Al-Quran, Rahmat Untuk Umat’ delivered by
Datuk Rosli Othman, a member of the Penang Fatwa Committee.
Source: Malay Mail
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Agong: Muslims must stay united despite difference of
opinion
07 Apr 2023
KEPALA BATAS, April 7 — Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah called on Muslims to
have the desire to stay united despite having differing opinions as this
characteristic will enable them, the state and the nation to advance.
His Majesty said Muslims should not be bigoted that
they cannot tolerate the opinion of others and cause factions in the mosque.
He said the mosque institution must be protected and
not be made a political arena for any party or faction.
“This is an unhealthy phenomenon which we should
avoid,” said His Majesty at the official opening of Ar Rahmani Jamek Mosque in
Kampung Banggol, Kepala Batas here today.
Al-Sultan Abdullah hopes that the mosque
administration under the Penang Islamic Religious Council would continue to
work on enlivening the mosque so that residents will make good use of the
facilities to acquire wisdom and receive blessings from Allah.
Also present were Tengku Arif Bendahara Tengku
Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah Ibni Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin
Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, Penang Governor Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak and Deputy
Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman.
Source: Malay Mail
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Maszlee Malik appointed chairman of Islamic think tank
07 Apr 2023
PETALING JAYA: Former education minister Maszlee Malik
has been appointed as the new chairman of the International Institute of
Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), effective March 31.
“As the newly appointed chairman, I am committed to
collaborating with our talented team to utilise the institute’s extensive
knowledge and expertise, making IAIS Malaysia an even more valuable contributor
to global discussions on matters related to Islam and its role in contemporary
society,” he said in a message to IAIS staff.
IAIS is an independent non-profit think tank
established in 2007, with the main objective of promoting a deeper
understanding and appreciation of the diversity of Islam.
Currently, Maszlee holds a position as a professor at
the psychology and social sciences faculty at the University of Cyberjaya.
Prior to that, he was a lecturer at the International
Islamic University Malaysia.
Maszlee was appointed as the education minister after
PH won the mandate to form the government following their victory in GE14.
Twenty months after his appointment, Maszlee resigned.
After the collapse of the PH government in February
2020, he was against Bersatu’s decision to form a government together with BN
and PAS after the Sheraton Move.
He was subsequently sacked from the party and became
an independent MP.
In November 2021, he joined PKR after more than a year
of being a PH-friendly independent lawmaker.
During the 2022 Johor state elections, Maszlee ran for
the Layang-Layang state seat, but lost to BN’s Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Arab World
Saudi-Omani delegation to hold ceasefire talks with
Houthis in Yemen’s Sanaa: Sources
07 April ,2023
A Saudi-Omani delegation is planning to travel to
Yemen’s capital Sanaa next week to hash out a permanent ceasefire deal with
Houthi officials and end the country’s eight-year conflict, two sources
involved in the talks said.
If an agreement is reached, Yemen's warring parties
could announce an agreement before Islam’s Eid al-Fitr holiday starting April
20, the sources said.
The discussions are focused on a full reopening of
Yemen’s ports and airports, payment of wages for public servants, a rebuilding
process and a political transition, they added.
In an additional sign of progress, the Arab Coalition
lifted eight-year-old restrictions on imports headed for Yemen’s southern
ports, the internationally-recognized government said.
This follows the easing of restrictions in February on
commercial goods entering the Houthi-held western port of Hodeidah, the
country’s main seaport.
The Yemeni government said on Thursday that commercial
ships would be allowed to dock directly in southern ports, including Aden, and
all goods would be cleared, with some exceptions.
Abu Bakr Abeed, deputy head of Yemen’s Chambers of
Commerce, told Reuters ships would not have to stop at the Saudi Red Sea port
of Jeddah for security checks for the first time since the Arab Coalition
intervened in Yemen in 2015.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza Strip after barrage
of rockets fired from Lebanon
07 April ,2023
Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip late
Thursday after vowing to retaliate over a barrage of cross-border rockets fired
from Lebanon, which it blamed on Palestinian groups.
The Israeli army “is currently striking in the Gaza
Strip,” read an army statement shortly after AFP heard at least three
explosions in the area at 11:15 pm (2115 GMT).
A Palestinian security source said the strikes had hit
several Hamas training sites.
Further strikes rang out half an hour later, and
aircraft could be heard flying overhead.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel’s
enemies would “pay the price” after 34 rockets were fired from Lebanon into
Israeli territory earlier in the day.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Digital devices that print identification wristbands
for children launched at Makkah’s Grand Mosque
April 07, 2023
RIYADH: Digital devices that print identification
wristbands for children visiting the Grand Mosque in Makkah were launched on
Thursday.
The president of the General Presidency for the
Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, launched the
devices as part of the “Your children are safe with us” program.
The wristbands are printed with the child’s name and
their parent’s contact number to ensure they are safely found if they get lost.
Source: Arab News
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Heavy rain, sandstorm, and snowfall to hit most Saudi
regions until end of Ramadan
April 08, 2023
JEDDAH — Moderate to heavy rain, sandstorm, and
snowfall are expected to experience in most regions of Saudi Arabia from Sunday
until the end of the holy month of Ramadan, according to the forecast of the
National Center of Meteorology (NCM).
The spring thunderstorms, accompanied by dust storms,
torrents, and snowfall, will be heavy from Monday to Thursday, in the regions
of Qassim, Riyadh, Eastern Province, and Hail.
The NCM said in a statement that moderate to heavy
rains will witness in the regions of Asir, Al-Baha, Jazan, Makkah, Najran, and
Madinah on Sunday and Monday as well as on Wednesday and Thursday.
Moderate to heavy thunderstorms will experience in the
regions of Tabuk, Al-Jouf and the Northern Borders region from Monday to
Wednesday. The center stated that light to moderate thunderstorms, accompanied
by sandstorm, is expected in the Eastern Province from Monday to Thursday, and
in the regions of Makkah, Tabuk and Madinah on Sunday and Monday, as well as on
Wednesday.
Source: Saudi Gazette
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Explosion gets reported near Iraqi Kurdistan airport
08 April ,2023
An explosion was reported near Sulaimaniyah airport in
Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region on Friday, security officials said, adding
that it caused a fire but no casualties.
The reported blast comes amid tensions with nearby
Turkey after Ankara on Wednesday closed its airspace to flights from the city,
blaming increased activity of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Shortly after 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) “an explosion took
place near the wall of Sulaimaniyah airport without causing any injuries, but
causing a fire which was brought under control by the civil defense,” a
statement from the airport security services said.
It added that air traffic had not been disrupted.
Local officials including the deputy premier of the
Kurdistan region, Qubad Talabani, spoke of an “attack,” without elaborating.
A statement from Sulaimaniyah province governor Haval
Abu Bakr said the explosion was the result of “aerial bombardment” close to the
airport.
He called on “all political parties to put an end to
their disputes and not make Kurdistan the victim of their struggles.”
Turkey on Wednesday said the freeze on air links with
Sulaimaniyah would last until at least July 3 before being reviewed.
“This decision has been taken in the context of the
intensification of activities of the PKK at Sulaimaniyah, the intrusion of the
terrorist organization at the airport and the threat it poses to air security,”
it said.
Abu Bakr at the time urged Ankara to “revise” its
decision, saying that “Sulaimaniyah and its airport are secure.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi, Iranian win top prizes at Otr Elkalam
competition
April 07, 2023
RIYADH: A Saudi and an Iranian were the big winners at
Friday’s Otr Elkalam contest organized by the General Entertainment Authority.
Mohammed Al-Sharif collected a prize of SR2 million
($533,000) for finishing first in the call to prayer (adhan) category, while
Younis Shahmradi topped the recitation category, taking home SR3 million.
The final episode of the televised Qur’an recitation
and adhan calling competition which translates to “Perfumed Speech” aired on
Friday.
It was dedicated to crowning this year’s winners and
opened with a Qur’anic recitation by Yunus Gharbi, the Moroccan contestant who
won the competition’s first edition. This was followed by Mohsen Kara, the
winner of last year’s Turkish adhan category, performing the call to prayer.
The competition is a winner in its own right,
achieving six marks recognized by Guinness World Records, for the largest
number of countries and participants in both the Qur’an and adhan categories,
and the two biggest prize pools.
The event is among the most popular Ramadan programs
in the Kingdom and enjoys a huge following in the Muslim world.
More than 50,000 contestants from 165 countries took
part in the qualifying round for the event, which was held in January, of whom
50 went on to the final round that was broadcast on MBC and the Shahid digital
platform.
Source: Arab News
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Blast at north Iraqi airport raises tension in Kurdish
area
April 07, 2023
BAGHDAD: An explosion struck next to the Suleimaniyah
International Airport in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region Friday,
local officials said.
The blast came days after Turkiye closed its airspace
to flights to and from the airport, citing an alleged increase in Kurdish
militant activity threatening flight safety.
Turkiye has spent years fighting Kurdish militants in
its east. Large Kurdish communities also live in neighboring Iraq and Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based
opposition war monitor, and some local media reported that the explosion was a
Turkish drone attack on Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Syrian Democratic
Forces, the main US-backed and Kurdish-led force in Syria.
Officials with the SDF and the Kurdish regional
government in northeast Syria denied that Abdi was in Suleimaniyah at the time
or had been the target of an attack.
Fethullah Al-Husseini, a representative of the Kurdish
self-rule administration in northeast Syria, said Abdi was “carrying on his
work and is in northeast Syria.”
The airport’s security directorate said in a statement
that an explosion took place near the fence surrounding the airport at 4:18
p.m. local time, causing a fire but no injuries. It said the cause of the blast
was under investigation and the airport was operating normally.
Lawk Ghafuri, head of foreign media affairs for the
Kurdish regional government in Iraq, said investigations were still underway
and that he was unable to confirm whether the explosion had been a drone
attack.
However, a statement from the Iraqi Kurdish regional
government appeared to blame local authorities in Suleimaniyah, which it
accused of provoking an “attack” on the airport and using “government
institutions” for “illegal activities.”
The regional government, with its seat in Irbil, is
primarily controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Party, while Suleimaniyah is a
stronghold of the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
Two Kurdish officials in Irbil, who spoke on condition
of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident with
reporters, said that the explosion was caused by a drone attack. One of them
said the attack had targeted Abdi.
A representative of the Turkish defense ministry said
he had no information about the incident.
Turkiye’s foreign ministry announced Wednesday that
Turkish airspace was closed to flights taking off from and landing at the
Suleimaniyah airport.
Turkish officials said the closure was a response to
an alleged increase in the activities of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party,
or PKK, in the city of Suleimaniyah, including its “infiltration” of the airport.
The decision came weeks after two helicopters crashed
in northern Iraq, killing Kurdish militants who were on board. The incident
fueled claims that the PKK was in possession of helicopters, infuriating
Turkish authorities.
The SDF later said it lost nine fighters, including a
commander, in the crash, which occurred during bad weather on a flight to
Suleimaniyah. The nine included elite fighters who were in Iraq as part of an
“exchange of expertise” in the fight against the Daesh group, the SDF said.
Source: Arab News
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Africa
Christian, Muslim Clerics List Benefits, Rally
Nigerians Support For 2023 Census
By Adamu Abuh, Abuja
08 April 2023
Ahead of the National Population Census in Nigeria,
the College of Bishops Imams and Clergy Councils (CBICC), has canvassed support
of Nigerians aimed at ensuring hitch-free exercise.
Addressing journalists after the interdenominational
prayer rally, which held at the unity fountain, convener of the group, Bishop
Abel King harped on the need for successful and credible census as it remains
the only way forward for true and reflective development in any society
Listing the benefits derivable from the exercise, the
cleric noted: “A credible census is the only way out of the current lack of
direction. We need accurate data to plan for the limited resources available at
government disposal.
“When government plans on reliable data, it reduces
waste and misapplication of resources and thus focusing on specific areas of
citizens need.
“As clergies, it is incumbent on us to take the
message to the people; and the message is to open the eyes of our people on the
need for citizen participation in the census as a critical exercise for
national development. This is why we are here.”
In a similar reaction, Sheik Ibrahim Muktar, who led
the Muslim prayer for a successful census, said nothing could be successful
without the help of God and this is why we are here.
“We need to pray for the country, pray for the
president and the commission because if they succeed with a credible census,
the citizens would be the greatest beneficiaries.”
The group particularly commended the management of the
National Population Commission under the leadership of Alh Nasir Isa Kwarra for
the stability and direction it has brought to bear on the commission, insisting
that the management commitment was reflected in the manner the forthcoming
census exercise is being professionally coordinated.
“With deployment of state of the art Information
Communication Technology, satellite systems, advanced GIS mapping and security
infrastructure to compliment manpower, it was almost a given that the 2023
census exercise would be the most credible since, independence.
“We have prayed for success as clergy men, Muslims and
Christians, men and women, young and old united on the common good of the
country.
We hope that the commission truly lives up to
expectations of Nigerians and Mr. President.
Source: Guardian Nigeria
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Turkish mosque donates food packages to residents in
Uganda’s capital
Hamza Kyeyune
08.04.2023
KAMPALA, Uganda
The Abubaker Mosque, or Ebubekir Cami, in Uganda’s
capital donated assorted food packages Friday to disadvantaged people in
Kampala, to help them fulfill their obligation to fast during the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan.
Rice, wheat flour, maize, cooking oil, and other food
items were handed out after Friday prayers.
Imam Sheikh Kirumira Mahmudaid said those asking for
help keep growing.
“The foodstuffs were donated by well-wishers to
support those in need through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, we will
continue supporting the less privileged as much as we can,” said the spiritual
leader.
Recipients Anadolu spoke to were grateful for the
generosity of the Turkish people at a time when Türkiye is grappling with the
aftermath of deadly earthquakes.
"The Turkish people continue supporting us even
when they are facing difficulties after a devastating earthquake, am so
grateful to them,” said Aisha Nakitto.
The event was attended by the Turkish state-run aid
agency, TIKA, country representative to Uganda, Omer Aykon.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Jordanian volunteer group raises spirits providing
Ramadan meals in Syrian camps
MAEDEH SHARIFI
April 07, 2023
IDLIB, Syria: A Jordanian volunteer group has been on
the Ramadan frontline in northwest Syria dishing out home-cooked meals for
hundreds of vulnerable families in camps for internally displaced people.
Members of Hathi Hayati, a non-governmental
organization, have been providing food during the holy month of fasting.
Umm Ali, a cook internally displaced from Aleppo, has
been working at a soup kitchen in the town of Zardana, north of Idlib, for the
past few years.
She said: “Lentil soup is an essential part of the
meal.” However, she also makes other traditional Middle Eastern dishes such as
labaniya and kabsa, salads, sour beans, drinks, tamarind, and liquorice as
sides.
“We used to send out meals, but now we bring the pots,
cook the food, and distribute it in the camps. We serve the food to the people,
and they take it home with them to eat,” she added.
Although the Ramadan project in Syria began three
years ago, the team this year has adopted a different approach.
Zaki Al-Saleh, a Hathi Hayati volunteer, told Arab
News: “We decided on a new idea, which is a buffet. Families come and take
meals from the buffet and head over to any tent to eat privately.”
The Hathi Hayati team has been lifting spirits with its
freshly cooked meals and has created an authentic Ramadan ambience by adorning
its buffet tent with themed ornaments and lights.
Operating at different camps each day, between 200 and
250 fresh meals are produced, sometimes more, helping relieve some of the
pressures of daily life for inhabitants.
Mohammed Abd Al-Fattah Duaimis, from Maarat Al-Numan
in northwest Syria, manages the Andalusia camp, which hosts 200 families.
He told Arab News: “Some heads of households are
taking care of 11 or 12 people and have the burden of providing food. Most of
the families in our camp have more than eight members.
“They have no source of income; therefore, families
find that the provided meals relieve some of that burden if not all of it.”
Source: Arab News
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Hopes fade for IMF bailout of Tunisia
April 07, 2023
Hopes faded on Friday for a stalled $1.9 billion IMF
bailout package for Tunisia after President Kais Saied said he would not comply
with “diktats” and that the required subsidy cuts could cause unrest.
Tunisia reached an agreement with the IMF for the loan
in September, but it has already missed key commitments, and donors believe its
finances are increasingly diverging from the figures used to calculate the
deal.
Without a loan, Tunisia faces economic meltdown.
Foreign loan repayments are due this year, and credit ratings agencies have
said the country may default.
The terms of the loan include cuts to food and energy
subsidies and a reduction in the public wage bill, but Saied said: “I will not
hear diktats.” The alternative to the loan, he said, was that “Tunisians must
count on themselves.”
Saied seized most powers in 2021, shutting down
parliament, appointing a new government and moving to rule by decree —moves he
said were necessary to end years of chaos and rampant corruption among the
political elite.
He has blamed Tunisia’s economic problems on
corruption and rejected what he sees as foreign interference.
Bailout talks with the IMF have been stalled for
months, with the US and France, among others, demanding far-reaching reforms
from Saied to free up the cash. Italy, however, a key destination for migrants
from North Africa, says Tunisia should be quickly supported to avoid the
financial collapse.
Source: Arab News
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